California School Bans Tag, Says Game ‘Too Rough’

Gold Ridge Elementary School in Folsom, California has banned the game of tag.

Principle David Frankel sent a note home to parents saying, “Students were instructed that physical contact including tag games, touch football, etc. were not allowed on the yard.”

Why would this time-honored tradition of playground fun get the axe? According to school district spokesman Daniel Thigpen, things had gotten just a bit too physical. Thigpen explained, “In this case, kids were getting too rough…so the school told them to stop playing those games… It’s not uncommon for a school to enact specific recess rules to address specific behavior problems.”

Students will face disciplinary action should they not comply. The punishments will begin with a referral, and then a parent-teacher conference, according to school officials.

According to The Daily Mail, the school has claimed that the note was only sent home to some parents, and there’s some confusion over whether the ban applies to all students.

Fourth-grader Mallory Giddens is not a fan of the new rule. Giddens told KOVR television, “I don’t really like it. I mean I don’t really play tag but I don’t think it’s fair to everyone else that plays tag!”

Giddens continued, “My principal, he doesn’t want us to have tag at school because people, they touch too hard. Sometimes they push people over and my principal doesn’t want anyone getting hurt.”